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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · club · perch · patient · last · ball · jam · rest

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. club — a group
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. last — finally
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. club — for golf
  9. rest — a break
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. rest — what's left
  13. last — to go on
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. ball — a dance
  17. perch — the fish
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. club — for dancing
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. last — final
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com